Training Day
by JayceV
Summary: Duke Thomas is not a member of the Batfamily. He's an associate. Backup. Trainee. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself. But at this rate, he might be forced to join. A collection of Batfamily oneshots from the perspective of Duke Thomas. AKA Duke has no idea what he signed up for.


Duke strained his ears for the sound of footsteps. Every little creak sent his heart racing. There was no patter of feet, but that didn't mean he was safe. Surely, they wouldn't find his hiding spot, though. He was careful this time.

Then again, stealth escaped him in every way. He sneaked around like a kid from the Narrows, not like a bat in the skies. And while the former proved helpful, it wasn't enough. Not if he wanted to be like the others.

Alas, he had a long way to go. Duke grew antsy. His legs fell asleep in their uncomfortable position. He did not enjoy being squished under a pile of cardboard boxes. Flexing his toes, they lightly brushed against the cardboard.

"Bang! You're dead."

Shit.

Pushing the boxes away, he looked up at the broad shadowy figure. Jason wore a face of disapproval, but didn't seem surprised.

"What gave me away this time?"

"Other than your loud ass breathing?" Jason scoffed. "You moved the fucking box with your feet."

Damn it. Fourteen times. Jason found him fourteen times. Each in under a minute. And by the look on his face, he wasn't done reprimanding. "And cardboard boxes? Really? We're in a Home Depot for fuck's sake and this is your hiding place?"

"Jay, don't be hard on him." Dick materialized behind him. How did he do that?

Duke jumped at Damian's voice. "Todd's statement isn't completely flawed. If this is any indicator, Thomas seems to lack basic common sense."

"You do realize I'm standing right here?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "Yes, that is the problem. We _all _knew you were right here."

He couldn't argue with that. The whole night turned out to be a disaster. When Dick suggested a game of hide and seek as a training exercise, he jokingly agreed. But when the birds forced him to break into a Home Depot, he realized it wasn't a joke anymore.

Tim appeared next to him. Seriously, how were they doing that?

"Perhaps, we need a new strategy," he said.

Dick looked grateful for an actual suggestion. "Good thinking, Tim. We just need a change of pace. How about this time you seek us?"

He gave a reluctant nod. Not like he had a choice in the matter, anyway.

"Tt. No doubt, Drake will be discovered first."

"And what makes you so sure, Brat?" A dangerous look passed through Tim's eyes.

"Well, we all know I am the most proficient in tact and stealth, for it runs in _my_ DNA. Grayson seems adequate, I suppose. And while Todd remains incredibly inferior, he pales in comparison to you," he said.

Jason reached for Damian's throat. "You little runt-"

Dick, quick to ease the tension as always, stepped between them. "Guys. We are here to help Duke. Not insult each other."

Three dark looks cast onto Damian. He let out a stubborn huff.

"Now," Dick continued, "We are going to hide. And go a little easy, okay? He doesn't have the experience we do."

Duke bristled. He didn't need to be coddled. If they went easy on him, he'd never improve. Bruce needed to see that he could keep up with the big kids. Obviously, Duke lacked experience in many areas. Training. Patrol. Fighting. Torture. Death.

But he grew up in the Narrows for crying out loud. That had to count for something. And if it took winning a game of hide and seek to prove that, then so be it.

"No."

Four sets of eyes landed on him. "I don't want you to go easy on me. I may not be like you guys, but I can handle a children's game. Don't hold back."

A proud smile crossed Dick's face. Duke's ego swelled a bit. He didn't usually throw commands at the bats. In fact, he never thought he had the right to. But this? This felt good.

"You heard the rookie," said Jason. "Now, let's make it interesting. Last one caught gets their pick from my weapons gallery."

Tim and Damian cheered. However, Dick shook his head. "Jay!"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Relax. No guns. Those babies don't come cheap... But _when _I win, the rookie buys me a set of bullets."

Duke smirked. "I'll take that action."

And with that, the count down started. Ten seconds. No peeking.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

The game was on. Duke rattled his brain for anything that might be helpful. Damian would be the hardest due to his size and natural cat-like stealth. Tim, always the strategic one, fought with his head, not his strength. While Jason appeared easy due to his burly size, he never left the house without a trick up his sleeve and a gun in his holster. Dick, a gymnast at heart, incorporated his former life into his crime-fighting life. Despite his parents' gruesome death, he loved to... go up high. Of course.

If Duke learned anything, a bat hid in plain sight. He wandered through a few isles, checking the top shelves until he ended back where he started. Duke scratched at his head. What went higher than the shelves?

He tilted his head up. A smile swallowed his face. Low and behold, there he was. Dick clung to the light fixture above him. "Found you."

Dick flipped down from the hanging light and landed with the grace of a swan. "Nice job, buddy. I knew you could do it. Let's find the rest of our brothers."

Duke flinched at the term 'brothers,' but if Dick noticed, he pretended not to. Yes, Alfred tried to sell him on the idea too. But he had no intention of joining the Batfamily, at least not in that way. He signed up for crime fighting, not a replacement family. And if memory served him right, Jason tried to kill his brothers more often than actual criminals. He preferred to stay off the Red Hood's hit list.

They surveyed the store, walking up and down isles. Clues threatened to spill out of Dick's mouth, but he knew Duke wanted to do this on his own. Fifteen minutes went by and still, nothing. Finding the acrobat seemed a miracle in itself. Duke worried he got lucky.

Doubt whispered in his ears. He just needed to think.

Dick sensed his troubles on instinct. "I know you want to do this yourself and that's okay. But sometimes, even heroes need a point in the right direction. You don't think Batman got on the Justice League by keeping to himself, do you?"

"I thought that's exactly how he got with the League."

He sighed. "Come on. You know what I mean. Teamwork makes the dream work, bud. If you ask for help, that doesn't mean I'm doing the work for you. I'm just nudging you in the right direction."

A warm hand patted Duke's shoulder. He fought to disregard Dick, but escaping his kind nature proved impossible. "Fine. What do you think I should do?"

He gave a blinding smile. "Well, if I know my brothers, they like to do the unexpected. Like Jason. The only thing he's better at than fighting is hiding from the family."

"Okay? How is that supposed to help me?"

"Like I said... the unexpected. It's always the last place you think to look," said Dick. Mischief sparkled in his eyes.

Unsure what to make of the hint, Duke opted to continue searching. If Jason kept pulling the disappearing act, it had to get redundant. So, how did he throw suspicion? Duke passed the wall of kitchen knives. Maybe he hid near weapons? Jason treasured his weapons.

No, too obvious. Dick said his brothers lacked predictability... So what place would they avoid?

Realization smacked him in the face. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

Duke attempted to tame his excitement, but couldn't help the extra hop in his step. He tip-toed to the tool section. At first glance, failed to notice him, but after a second pass-by, Duke saw him in the darkness. Never one to miss an opportunity, Jason hid in the shadow of a box of crowbars. Proud for finding him and slightly concerned for his mental health, Duke smirked.

"Found you."

He rolled his eyes. "About time. And nice subtlety, I heard you coming from a mile away."

The attitude didn't deter Duke because he found half the group. Only two left.

"Little Wing, you shouldn't joke about these things," Dick said gesturing to the crowbars.

Jason doled out another eye roll, but if he wasn't a psycho killer, Duke might've called it... fond. "Whatever, dickhead. Let's just find the rest. No way, I'm letting Replacement win."

The trio scoured the store, allowing Duke to take the lead. They stopped every time Dick and Jason wanted to pick out paint swatches. If they couldn't kick his ass, he would've rolled his eyes. For professionally trained vigilantes, they got distracted easily. At one point, Dick took a toaster and just left money on the counter, arguing that he needed a new one.

Finally, they reached the last section that hadn't been covered. Duke stopped in his tracks at the sight. "Guys?"

His voice cut through their squabble about back splashes. The duo directed their attention to the monstrosity in front of them.

"That little maniac," Jason whispered with a mix of awe and distaste.

A maze of mirrors stood before them. This had Tim Drake written all over it. Literally. Several reflections of him stared back at them. "When did he have time to do this?"

"Its no coincidence this is the farthest corner of the store. He used a tarp to muffle the sound of mirrors being dragged everywhere. Tim's nothing if not thorough," said Dick.

"That little shit never stops being annoying, does he?" asked Jason.

The three of them entered the maze which furthered the confusion. Four reflections mingled about. The sound of Dick and Jason cursing after running straight into a mirror put a smile on Duke's face. Taking his heroes down a few pegs made them seem a little more human.

Suddenly, one of the reflections disappeared. Tim's reflection.

"He's making a run for it!" Jason called followed by the sound of a body running into something. "Shit!"

Another mirror he assumed.

Duke needed to remember the way out. But each path looked the same. Jason's voice came again. "Screw this!"

The sound of glass shattering pierced the air. A few crashes later and the mirror beside him fell over, revealing the source of the noise. "Come with me if you want to live."

"You've seen Terminator?"

"Duh. What kind of uncultured swine do you think I am?" asked Jason.

They tossed the remaining mirrors aside and searched for Tim. He couldn't have gone far. Duke caught a glimpse of the edge of a cape turning the corner. Jason saw it too and nudged him. He made a couple hand gestures that were a code, no doubt. If Duke was correct, the plan was to split at both ends of the isle and trap Tim. He hoped he was correct.

They ran to cut him off. Tim stopped in his tracks like a deer in headlights. "Okay, okay. You got me, but don't-"

Sadly, he never got to finish. Jason charged at him with the brute force of a bull and tackled him to the ground. By the time Duke came over to them, Jason had him in a headlock. "Say it. Who's the best vigilante?"

"Over my dead body," Tim squeaked.

Jason chuckled. "How ironic."

Duke had no idea what he was witnessing. _Should I help him or...?_

After a couple seconds, he wheezed, "Fine. Jason. Jason Todd is the best."

Tim coughed violently after being released. Once he gained his composure, he stood. "Where's Dick?"

As if summoned by his name, the man himself appeared. "Forgetting something, guys?"

"Why didn't you guys break me out?" Huh. In all the excitement, they left him behind.

"Also, we have to pay for all those mirrors. I thought we agreed on being discreet," Dick scolded.

Jason had the gall to look amused. "Relax, Golden Boy. I made the mess, I'll take care of it."

He pulled out a blue wallet. Dick gaped. "That's mine."

_Leave it to them to be mature_, thought Duke. A few months ago, training with his childhood heroes would've been a dream come true. Technically, it still was. But the sobering reality could be... exhausting from time to time. Another reason he didn't need to be a member of this family.

After settling down, they searched for Damian. Tim seemed overjoyed. "I'm just saying... Would Bruce really notice if he was gone for one night?"

The group opted to ignore his antics.

"Dami!" called Dick. "You won. You can come out now."

"He thinks you're trying to get him to forfeit. We have to find him ourselves," said Jason.

Hours passed and no sign of the Boy Wonder. For a kid who hated anything childish, he was pretty damn good at hide and seek.

The gang decided to take a break. Everyone seemed over the adrenaline rush and just craved sleep. Duke fought to stay awake. "We turned this place upside down and nothing."

Tim frowned. "He's so small he could be anywhere. Can't we just leave?"

"Come on, guys. Stay positive," said Dick. "We just need to put our heads together."

Everyone groaned. Duke wanted to believe those words, but Dick's optimism had its limits. Eyelids droopy, he squinted at the space in front of him. A dozen grills stood before him. The group checked them eight times. Except the one on the far right. A quarter of the lid was open and they felt no need to look further.

Unless... it was open on purpose. To throw suspicion.

It looked empty on first glance. But looks could be deceiving.

He felt himself walking to the grill. The others noticed his sudden movement and followed.

Duke scanned the dark space between the lid and grill. But the dark space wasn't a shadow. Shadows weren't made of cloth.

He opened the grill to find Damian Wayne swaddled in his cape like a burrito. The cape, so dark, it blended in with the shadow cast by the lid. Clever boy.

Damian, unfazed, gazed up at them, mentally counting each person. Then he smirked.

"It seems you owe me a katana, Todd."

* * *

**A/N Basically, this is based on the fact that I think Home Depot would be the best place for hide and seek.**

**Also, I wish Duke was a tag in the Batman category, but he's not. I just like writing him cause he's a fresh perspective on the Batfamily and I like that he's an outsider.**

**I plan on writing a few more oneshots like this if I still have the motivation so, until then- thank you for reading :)**


End file.
